Fooling Around In The Fire Kingdom
by 14InAHeart
Summary: She barely knew him, and she smiled at him. She was clearly untrustworthy. Oneshot. Just barely hints at an unlikely crossover pairing, but with silly, not serious justification from the Paint It White bloopers. Any reviews are greatly appreciated.


A loud booming sound echoed through Ludwig's ears. He recognized it as music. It was dancing music with a syncopated techno beat. His vision was blurred by what he passed off as nothing more than exhaustion. Fluttering shades of reds and oranges glowed in his face. He blinked his eyes a couple times more and saw the fire.

Fire. It was everywhere. However it seemed to be considered normal by the people who were hanging around. He took in his surroundings. There was a large dance floor and bronzed torches along the walls being the only source of light upon first glance. Long shadows swayed, sweeping over the glowing floorboards.

And every other person was delicately weaved from flame. Bright, young adult faces, smiling with a faintly familiar cheerfulness, filled his line of vision. Ludwig found himself staring at the dancing figures and smiling faces and longing for a little piece of that long forgotten happiness for himself.

He noticed that many of the young males at the party were creatures of a different kind, not of fire but perhaps of water or rusty car parts and many other foreign beings seemingly ripped from the pages of a fairytale. He also saw an older couple of fire sitting to the side. He noted that their colour was deeper, a rich red that seemed to glow from the inside out. The younger flames were more golden, brightening the room with nothing but the shimmering light from their smiles.

He was staring. Each one of them was beautiful and intriguing. And then she was there.

"Which kingdom are you from, fair prince?"

Ludwig turned to face the voice that had chirped at him in a youthful yet womanly tone.

She was one of the flame people, just as glittering and sweet as the rest. Her hair fell delicately around her bare shoulders, only ignited at the ends. An aura of warm smoke clung to her like a morning fog to the earth. She was wearing a thin, intricately designed gown, the skirt flowing and swaying over her bare feet.

Ludwig was immediately cautious of the young girl. She was obviously attempting to impress someone or something, and he didn't like that. But just because she was a suspicious figure didn't mean that he was going to turn his attention away so suddenly.

Her hair glowed and raised a bit off her shoulders as she spoke again, "Sir, are you even paying attention to me!"

"Ja! Please excuse me."

"So, I ask you again, fair prince,where are you from?"

"I'm Germany."

Ludwig offered his hand for a handshake, but the girl instead slid her heated, slim fingers up his arm, leaving a trail of sparks clashing against his skin. With a surprising amount of force, she pulled him out onto the dance floor, smiling up at him.

She had smiled at him. She barely knew him, and she smiled at him. She was clearly untrustworthy.

The young woman led Ludwig in a slow, swaying dance despite the fact that she barely came up to his waist. He didn't actively dance either; he only followed her as her position on the floor moved.

"So," she began, "Germany? I've never heard of it. Is it an exotic land?"

"Not really."

"How big is your army? How about your nuclear weapons? Do you have money?"

"Please forgive me, but that's top secret information."

"Secret? You don't have to hide anything from me. I mean, I can't marry a prince who can't be open."

Ludwig noticed a small, red gem on her forehead. A dim light pulsed from under it. It was a small detail that the other beings had lacked. He figured she was royalty.

But she wanted to marry him? No, he reasoned. She didn't specifically want to marry him. She only wanted to marry. But she was still smiling at him and flirting with him when she couldn't be any more than a young teenager. Ludwig knew that it was simply a difference in culture and that the girl didn't see anything in the situation to be wrong, but he was still hesitant to speak and mindful of his actions.

"I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken with someone else."

"What do you mean?" Her voice began to raise, as did the sparking hair off her shoulders again.

"I am not a prince, and I am not in search of a bride."

Her flame grew brighter and larger still, filling the room with it's vicious shine. Her pulsar gem accelerated to the speed of a strobe light. Her eyes were no longer visible, hiding behind the fire. She even almost seemed to raise off the ground.

"You lied! Filthy, disgusting trespasser! Playing with my heart!"

As the guests shifted their attention, all the beings of flame began to give off sparks, gathering close. The room was filled with the dull roar of fire. Ludwig attempted to back away before the princess rose higher and brighter and completely engulfed him in flames.

But he did not burn. He felt rather cool. And he listened as the roaring fire died down to a calm crackle. He blinked and blinked again. And after a couple blinks more, he noticed that the room was gone, replaced by a blanket of stars twinkling playfully at him.

He turned his head to meet eye to eye with a campfire. It was campfire, nothing more, but he still felt his heart speed up as he stared into it. His eyes grew wide as if he expected it to abandon its place on the burning wood to swallow him whole.

"Germany, you silly sleepyhead, the pasta's almost done!"

No, Ludwig had many more bigger problems to worry about. He shouldn't have been staring at the fire.

He slowly pushed himself up and off the cool sand, his tired muscles aching and working against him. He glanced upon the gently smiling face of Feliciano, who was humming a familiar tune. Ludwig found his voice soothing in an odd way, as it sang away the memory of a previous dream.

Although the memory was gone, it should be noted that when the other nations gradually appeared from the forest to join them for food, rest, and safety in numbers, he was the one who sat closest to the campfire.


End file.
